Through a lens darkly

An untitled photograph shows a cityscape beneath clouds pierced by light. By JH Engstrom from his book, 'Trying to dance'

Drusilla Beyfus

12:01AM BST 09 Apr 2005

The work of the Swedish photographer JH Engström, which he confesses is pervaded by a certain melancholy, is the first to be featured in the Telegraph Magazine's four-week series on the artists shortlisted for the prestigious Deutsche Borse Photography Prize. By Drusilla Beyfus

Photography as an art form has received a rousing endorsement with The Daily Telegraph's support for the Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2005 at the Photographers' Gallery in London. Taking the place of the Citigroup Photography Prize, the Deutsche Borse 2005 has four shortlisted contenders. The winner will receive £30,000 and the runners-up £3,000 each. The annual prize, the biggest of its kind in Britain, stands to gain international recognition as a magnet for contemporary work of artistic merit. The Telegraph Magazine welcomes its association with the prize, which serves further to strengthen the magazine's editorial focus on first-class contemporary photography.

The change of sponsorship to Deutsche Borse has seen the prize headed into different territory. Its remit is to widen the angle of vision from which the art of the camera is perceived. Open to work that was previously beyond the sight lines of the prize, its mission is to encourage talents nurtured in a global setting. Its pitch is international, with the slant on this year's show being European-wide. Axel Nawrath, the managing director of the Deutsche Borse Group, points out that each of the selected bodies of work 'reflects a different style of contemporary photography in an individual and excellent way. We are confident that the eventual winner will have made a major contribution towards photography in Europe.'

The spirit of the new direction can be seen in the shortlisted photographer JH Engström, whose lyrical, atmospheric images open the run of portfolios to be published in the Telegraph Magazine. Photographs by the three other contenders will appear over successive weeks. The pictures of Engström, a Swedish national in his thirties, are known in his homeland but he is a newcomer to the British. Paul Wombell, director of the Photographers' Gallery and chairman of the Deutsche Borse Prize, remarks, 'You have to take a chance with his photographs because you don't know, first of all, what you are looking at. You must go with it and try to enter into his vision. I think the images are beautiful.'

Engström is nominated for his book Trying to Dance (published by Journal), a form of visual autobiography from 1990 onwards based on his experiences, friendships, places known, spaces occupied and intimate relationships. Male and female nudes are a chosen subject, portrayed with tenderness. An atmosphere of trust pervades the compositions, free of any smack of -intrusion. The nude attracts him as a -photographer because, by virtue of physical exposure, the sitter is 'unprotected'. He is interested in vulnerability, 'A key word. I like to question why people are vulnerable and how people deal with it.'

Engström is currently making a film for -Swedish television about a close friendship with a well-known Swedish photographer whom he describes as a father figure to him. He is director, cameraman and presenter. He finds that the medium of photography allows him to deal with a questioning approach to himself and to his material. 'Photography is a very simple language but at the same time very complex emotionally and intellectually. I like that.'

In his early days Engström worked as an assistant to Mario Testino and other photographers, and went on to study photography at Gothenburg University. When I asked him if there wasn't a strong Scandinavian character to his pictures, a tension we think of in connection with Sweden's cultural icons from Ingmar Bergman through to the novelist Henning Mankell, he allowed that a certain melancholy pervaded his photography. Even the title which he gave his nominated book allows for the possibility of failure.

Prizes by definition draw attention to the -donor. Deutsche Borse may appear in the city pages as the company that failed to snaffle the British stock exchange but in the arts world its stock is blue chip. The collection of 500 contemporary photographs at the group's Frankfurt HQ is widely recognised for its discerning riches. Originally it was largely national-based but the scope has become increasingly international, with artists such as Sebastião Salgado, Martin Parr, Juergen Teller and Stephen Shore.

The Deutsche Borse prize jury is notably European in outlook, comprising: Kate Bush, the editorial director contemporary arts and photography, Phaidon Press; Rosa Olivares, the director of Exit, Imagen & Cultura, a quarterly Spanish/English magazine devoted to work by contemporary artists; Christoph Ruys, the director of Antwerp's new PhotoMuseum; and Anne Marie Beckmann, the curator of the Art-Collection Deutsche Borse. Paul Wombell, the chairman of the jury, is known for showcasing new talent - and for tooting the -trumpet of this country's involvement with contemporary photo-graphy. He says, '-London has more students -taking photo-graphy degrees than any other European city. People come from China, Korea, Japan and Europe. They may go home, go to another land or try to make a living here. Many regard Britain as the place to be for developing their career.'

The four shortlisted photographers are -Engström (born 1969, Sweden), Luc Delahaye (born 1962, France), Jorg Sasse (born 1962, Germany) and Stephen Shore (born 1947, USA).

The Deutsche Borse Photography Prize, for which The Daily Telegraph is media sponsor, is at the Photographers' Gallery until June 5. The winner will be announced on May 11. Prints by the nominees will be on sale at the gallery. Next week: Stephen Shore